A Health Affairs survey reveals how well eleven countries are meeting the needs of their population. Adult respondents from Australia, Canada, France, Grmany the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States participated; answering questions... Continue reading

So, I just learned my daughter's trip to her dentist, for the last 15 years, will not be reimbursed and we will foot the entire $215 bill. I have my annual visit coming up and it seems I'll have to... Continue reading

The Aw Phooey! episode of the Jetsons demonstrates how virtual visits or telehealth technologies might interfere with attempts to play hookie from school. Parents, on the other hand, would find value in not having to interrupt their day for a... Continue reading

I've led both behavioral health and general hospitals and over the years have worked on issues involving both. We finally are seeing some movement with integration of behavioral health in medical services, especially among Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH). But,... Continue reading

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 42 percent of US adults ages 18 and older received the flu vaccine in the 2015–16 flu season. This is just one example of US adults’ not receiving vaccinations... Continue reading

WalletHub recently released some interesting data on uninsured rates. With the national uninsured rate at a record low of 8.6 percent and the topic of health-care reform likely to be argued in the upcoming presidential debates, the analysis of 2016's... Continue reading

The Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce is hosting a business expo today and they plan to shine a light on social media. I've been active on social sites since 2005 and sharing what I've learned with others in books, articles... Continue reading

A new study by Psychtests.com comparing satisfied with dissatisfied employees reveals that the latter group is more likely to condone dishonest behavior at work. Some disgruntled employees will vent their frustrations by telling the social media world exactly how they... Continue reading

Dr. Drew Pinsky and a few other doctors have voiced their concerns about what they see with their clinically trained eyes. They have asked questions and prompted reflection aimed at ensuring that the next President has been fully vetted. In... Continue reading

I'm most familiar with clinical social workers, but there are so many more types of these roles supporting people who need some guidance. Hopefully, some readers will find value in this guest post. Sometimes it seems that social work is... Continue reading

In medicine and healthcare, we administrators are concerned about the safety of our patients and employees. One of the areas that we monitor closely is the health and wellness of our clinical professionals - doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc. When it... Continue reading

Over the years I've posted on workplace effectiveness issues. The cloud and mobile devices are making it easy to stay connected. However, how does all of this digital access impact work and personal life? Some new research on workers is... Continue reading

Update: The Independent ran the story and it includes a quote from the Bob Freeman who stated "...nothing in state law or health-care regulations barred CenCal from this practice." It makes me wonder... just because something isn't barred by law... Continue reading

Note: I'm happy to have a guest blogger, Dr. Gianoli, who specializes in neuro-otology and skull base surgery and is also a professor at Tulane University School of Medicine. Please consider his perspective and leave a comment with your own.... Continue reading

I almost freaked out thinking I had lost a graphic that I use in my work with health informatics, as well as, performance and process improvement. Just to make sure I don't electronically mis-place it again, I'm adding it to... Continue reading

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 15% of patients in Hospice are now between 35 and 64. Hospice care is not something people like to talk about, but also don’t want to have to deal with until... Continue reading

Health literacy is an issue for many Americans, in part because healthcare has its own language. Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine has a great graphic in their May issue based upon a survey of Texans. So I thought I'd jump... Continue reading

Vigyanix has released their list of top 10 healthcare influencers on Twitter and I'm really flattered to be included this year along with some great company --- @ShahidNShah @kevinmd @EricTopol @Ahier and others. Last year I made their list of... Continue reading

My latest opportunity to read a book written by a physician takes me into an area of medical practice that I'm exploring and looking to find the truth. I've never been one to blindly follow; instead I prefer to question... Continue reading

John Stossel was recently treated for cancer and he had a couple of observations about health IT and men needing to listen to their leading lady when they say "it is time to see a doctor." Last year I thought... Continue reading

Before I share a story, I have to state, for conflict of interest reasons, that I've never smoked/inhaled anything. But, if I had chronic pain, I believe I would want to try cannabinoids before opiates or some of the other... Continue reading

I like learning from other industries and nature. Not long ago I wrote about what leaders can learn from splitting logs and today I'll share what venomous snakes can teach us about patient safety. I like that they are continually... Continue reading

Back when I was working on my masters at a school of public health, I had to fight to be able to take my courses on a part time basis instead of full time like everyone else. Why? If I... Continue reading

Depression is prevalent among individuals with diabetes and other chronic diseases; especially if there is sub-optimal self-management. A recent study explored the feasibility and potential impact of tele-behavioral therapy contributing to improve depressive symptoms and self-management among diabetes patients. Findings... Continue reading